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  Joe:
Thank you for stopping by to our cyber-interview with Shannon Entin. Shannon
along with her co-author Joan Price have put together a wonderful book for all of us
"idiots" out there who want to be more healthy, "The Complete Idiot's Guide
to Health & Fitness."
 Shannon
Entin
is Publisher and Editor of FitnessLink,
a Web-based fitness information service named among the finest in online fitness by the
Wall Street Journal, Playboy, Yahoo Internet Life and Home PC and hailed as "the
Cadillac of fitness sites" by the Los Angeles Times. Shannon, a certified fitness
professional, teaches group cycling and aerobics classes and presents workshops on stress
management, mind/body wellness and other issues for continuing education programs
throughout New Jersey.
Joe:
I took the opportunity to ask Shannon a few questions and she also has graciously
agreed to share a few tips with us about "quick fix" diets what to watch out
for. Welcome Shannon to our discussion here.
When you started your website back in 1995, you said that
you "found a lot of contradictory advice, scams, and misleading advertising."
That certainly has not improved with the proliferation of e-commerce on the net. Many of
the popular quick weight loss "herbal weight loss remedies" like Metabolife have
stimulants as active ingredients, in addition to herbs. How do you feel about the use of
these substances and how can the ordinary person evaluate the labels and claims of these
food additives?
Shannon:
I personally believe in holistic medicine and herbal remedies, but I would never
expect them to be my "magic bullet." When it comes to weight loss, you need to
understand the science. The only way you're going to lose weight permanently and safely is
through proper diet and exercise. No pill alone will do it. Don't believe advertising
claims, no matter how many testimonials a Web site publishes! As we say in the book, if it
sounds too good to be true, it is.
Joe:
In the excerpt from your book about weight loss, you sound the battle cry, "Move It
or You Won't Lose It!" In these busy times, how can a working mom find the time for a
regular program of exercise? What would be a good place to start?
Shannon:
As publisher of FitnessLink.com and as a fitness instructor, I hear the "I
can't find time" excuse quite often. Forgive me being crude, but this is bull!
*Everyone* can find time if it is a priority. The average American watches 3 hours of TV
per day, surely we can take 30 minutes to get a little exercise. Most health clubs have
nurseries - I take my son almost every morning and he has a great time playing with other
children while I get a workout. If a health club is not an option, Moms can try getting up
a half-hour early and popping in an exercise video. Or start out slower by simply
incorporating fitness into everyday activities ... Need to walk the dog? Try jogging or
walking up hills. Play a vigorous game of kickball with your children. You can even make
housework a workout: if your laundry is on another floor, jog up and down the stairs three
times each time you visit the laundry room. Sweep, mop and vacuum with extra gusto and
without
resting in between.
The Web offers lots of sites where parents and children can find ideas on exercise and
diet and make it a family affair (se chapter nine and chapter 20 of our book!).
Joe:
Have you had experience with prescription weight loss remedies like Meridia and Xenical?
Do you think they are a good idea? What should people watch out for when they see their
doctor for this? Many prescription remedies and non-prescription remedies are available
online. Is this a good idea?
Shannon:
I really don't have any experience on this topic. Anyone considering prescription
or non-prescription drugs should *always* consult their doctor.
Joe:
With proliferation of online pharmacies on the Internet, many people are using
Internet sites as a substitute for seeing a physician. Is this the proper role for
Internet medical sites? How do you see Internet medical sites within the context of the
physician-patient relationship?
Shannon:
The Internet should never be a substitute for a visit to your physician, but
should be used as a supplement. Finding research to back up your doctor's diagnosis will
instill confidence in his or her abilities. And let's face it, doctor's don't know
*everything*. The Internet can be used to help you pinpoint your exact symptoms so that
you may more clearly convey them to your doctor and even offer suggested causes. This can
help you and your doctor look beyond a routine diagnosis or therapy, if your condition
warrants. This is especially true with children. It can often be difficult for them to
describe their symptoms, and doing a little research online, or posting in a forum on one
of the big parenting sites, may help you determine the problem sooner.
Joe:
Thank you Shannon for your insights and I would like to move onto a fascinating
excerpt from your book which outlines how to spot the scams on the net as we all search
for that fountain of youth.
 Promising the Moon:
Beware of Fad Diets, Outrageous Claims, and Magic
Whole Wheat Linguini &
Fresh Tuna
  This week's Recipe of the Week
features Whole Wheat Linguini and Fresh Tuna. We receive many letters from women and men
looking to eat for health. They want their food to not only nourish them but to also
make them feel better. Mood swings and bouts of irritability can be traced to what we eat.
The kind of foods and yes, the amounts, affect our temperaments. This recipe is
from Molly Siple's best seller Recipes for
Change. This recipe goes a long way to satisfy hunger, load you up
on important nutrients, and eliminate those mood sings and periods of irritability. |
The Complete
Idiot's Guide to Online Health and Fitness
by Joan Price, Shannon Entin
 
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Health and Fitness shows you how to find,
evaluate, and productively use information in all areas of health and fitness, including:
exercise, diet, developing a fitness program, healthy cooking, weight loss, sports,
fitness travel, kids' health, disease, mental health, and others. Authors Joan Price and
Shannon Entin, health and fitness experts, guide you in learning about both health and
fitness resources on the Internet. They steer you away from scams, frauds, and misleading
advice, and towards the respectable, credible resources by showing you how to tell the
difference.
Suzanne Somers':
Get Skinny on Fabulous Food
 
by Suzanne Somers,
Leslie Hamel (Illustrator), Diana Schwarzbein
also see:
weight loss books
Somersizing is not a diet, but a way of life. In Get Skinny on Fabulous Food you
will find inspiring testimonials from some of Suzanne's greatest success stories, people
who have lost weight, lowered blood pressure, and eliminated digestive problems by
Somersizing.
Tae-Bo Workout: 4
Pack (1999)
 Billed
as the "future of fitness" and hawked by numerous celebrities, Billy Blanks's
Tae-Bo actually deserves much of the hype it's receiving. A mixture of boxing punches and
martial arts kicks, Tae-Bo is fun and easy. One of the best elements of this
four-tape set is that the first tape (which is 40 minutes long), Tae-Bo: Instructional,
lays out the movements you need to successfully complete a workout.
The Glucose Revolution:
The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index-The
Groundbreaking Medical Discovery
by Jennie Brand Miller, Thomas M.S Wolever M.D. Ph.D., Stephen Colagiuri M. D.,
Ph.D.,Jennie Brand Miller, Thomas Wolever, Kaye Foster-Powell
At last, a diet book based on sound scientific research! The Glucose Revolution: The
Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index--The Groundbreaking Medical Discovery, is
written by respected Australian and Canadian nutrition experts, including two MDs and a
Ph.D., who've spent the past 20 years researching the role of carbohydrates in a healthy
diet. According to the authors, watching carbohydrate consumption is the key to a healthy
diet. There's good reason the book has been endorsed by biggies in the medical field like
Harvard's Dr. JoAnn Manson and integrative health guru Dr. Andrew Weil: the authors are
acknowledged in the medical community as leading authorities on the topic and have
published hundreds of articles in scientific journals before translating their findings
here for us regular folks.
Richard Simmons
Sweat & Shout: An Aerobic Workout
by Richard Simmons
In this workout, formerly titled Sweatin' to the Oldies 4, Richard Simmons
leads another spirited and playful dance party. He and his group of wildly happy followers
dance energetically to songs like "Shout," "Dance to the Music,"
"Heat Wave," "Proud Mary," "Devil with a Blue Dress," and
"Mony Mony." His group of exercisers is smaller this time, but the band is
larger, sometimes including gospel singers. This workout is longer and somewhat more
intense than in earlier Sweatin' videos, with some faster and more intricate steps.
If you're a complete beginner, start with one of the earlier ones, but if you've already
worked your way up through the first three, you're ready for this one.
The Carbohydrate
Addict's Diet:
The Lifelong Solution to Yo-Yo Dieting
by Rachael F. Heller, Richard
Ferdinand Heller
Filled with sound advice and effective strategies, a guide to putting the individual in
charge of eating and weight--for life--includes recipes and menu plans from leading
professionals in the field of carbohydrate addiction. The phenomenal New York Times
national bestseller--now in an updated mass market edition. By offering "upbeat,
positive advice for weight loss success" (Library Journal), the Hellers show how it's
possible to correct the physically-based cause of carbohydrate addiction--suffered by 75
per cent of Americans--and experience easy, permanent weight loss. |
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